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MABJ Fluval Spec III (3) CRS

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The Start – November 11th, 2012

I’ve been saving this for a weekend project, and a lot of my business just cleared up, so I can finally get to this!
I’ve recently started an 18″ long 2.5 gal tank and it has sucked up my time and resources, but it is set up and has fauna in it now. But now this tank will be my focus for a while!
So if you don’t know the dimensions of a Fluval Spec III, it is almost awkwardly tall.
Roughly 10″ tall, 6″ deep and 7″ across. Something like that.

Update – November 15-16th, 2012

OK! So after a miserable time cleaning the Fluval Spec III out, I rinsed it out and cleaned some scum off the glass.
I took out all the snails I could find, had a hard lesson about what springtails are and trashed all the gravel.
I replaced everything, so it will probably take some time to build my old BB and the tank goodies up for the shrimp.
I added some moss and flooded it. Hopefully it’ll all take off, cycle quick and I’ll get all the micro fauna that are so good for shrimp

Update – November 25th, 2012

Well I haven’t done much, but I know the good stuff is growing! Some of my moss has made progress, but I’m havin issues keeping my Anubias Petite down.
I have noticed the oddest thing… Seems some seeds or something escaped my cleaning. I’ve got some interesting plants growing emerged well and submerged decent.

Update – Devember 16th, 2012

I’ve got a resident crayfish in here, which is keeping me from bringing other tankmates in it, as I’m sure he’ll harass them. He’s kinda mean! He looks at me when I come around, but when I try to net him, he’s gone.
I tried to net him because I’m going to put CRS in here, as the title presumes, but he’s preventing that.
I will say I had to move this tank from college to home for a month, and it proves to be a very easy tank to move, whereas long tanks are a PITA to move.
So the moss has filled in a little, and I put a little nylon to reduce the flow by a bit, so I can put some struggling fry or shrimp in here to stretch and heal.
Other than that, I’ve been letting things happen. Feeding hen necessary!

December 19th, 2012

Oh and the plants growing on the driftwood are still there lmao. I just kinda let them go. I’ll snap a picture. Tbh I think it is grass.

Update – December 20th, 2012

I think I had a smashing success.
I received my zoomed 501 today. It took a learning curve to put it together, figure out how it runs, ect. I assessed the tubes, and I still may cut the rubber tubes, but I used a copper tube cutter to cut my thick plastic pipes.
I measured, measured again, cut them and assembled things. I rinsed the unit out, then I hooked it up with the old filtration system still in place. It works reaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllly well.
I might not even pull the stock pump? Everything seems to be perfect. You be the judge.
The bar forced me to turn the log a little, but I like it better.
The filter intake is protected in the chamber, and it sucks up the mulm that gets through!
Everything works so perfectly.

Update – January 1st, 2013

I talked about adding fissiden and hydrocotyle japan but they died on me.
But here’s a pic of the cray. I’m kind of sad I’ll be moving him. He has made a nice home here.
He always sits right in there while he’s resting. When he explores, he explores everywhere.

Update – February 17-18th, 2013

Ok I made some big progress today. I patched what little of the small bottom slit was showing, so nothing will be getting in there ever again.
I pulled and moved some mosses, and I FINALLY glued down the Anubias.
The Don of this tank was captured and acclimated to his new home, and this is ready for the new inhabitants in two days.
As for the GH and KH, I’m not good at reading them, but KH was at 0-1 and the GH was at 4-5. PH was at around 6.2. Nitates near zero thanks to the floaters (frogbit).
CRS will be here in three days. I will post picture updates very soon.
I got 14 shrimp from Nick. I’m not big on the SSS look anymore. My tastes have changed I guess, and I’ve decided on the three-line CRS and two-line CRS.
So in grading terms S and SS.

Added Crystal Red Shrimp – February 20th, 2013

And the shrimp are here and in!! I acclimated them for 1 hour and poured them into my Fluval Spec III. They’re SUPER cute.
There are 13 three-band (S Grade) and two two band (SS grade)
I think they like the high current.

Update – February 22nd, 2013

Alrighty I JUST figured out my official GH and KH. I figured out the whole formula thing, and the whole test strip thing is in fact inaccurate. I previously thought I had 1 KH, 3 GH.
Since I finally read it right, I have:
5 GH
Less than 1 KH
150 TDS.
Roughly 6.2 PH
That is SPOT ON for CRS. I’m now super confident they’re going to do well for me.
My nitrates barely register, ammonia and nitrites don’t register of course.
The shells look great two days in

Minor Update – February 23rd, 2013

I left these guys for a week for spring break. I’ve put them where they will be exposed to natural light each day.
Before I left, I made sure the water was 100% topped off and fed a large portion of something they IMMEDIATELY took to. I recommend ravengates’s pumpkin chips to everybody with inverts.
Jamie said it doesn’t disperse in your water like some compressed food, so I fed a little extra. There are plenty of ammonia sucking devices in the tank, so I’ll rely on that and take the risk so they have a healthy dose of food for the 7 days I’m gone…

Update – March 3rd, 2013

My shrimp are all alive yay
Super happy. I literally don’t think anybody died, and as I feared, the water did drain past the sponge, but not by too much.
I just gave them a big helping of food. It pays off to think ahead. I didn’t setup my Fluval Spec III in a hurry, so there was plenty of biofilm.

Update – March 6th, 2013

Possibly switching out my light. Breaking down another tank, so I’ve got a spare light that is very nice. Let me know if you’d select it over the stock light. I’ll post pics soon.

Update – 16th, 2013

I gave my Fluval Spec III a makeover, but I am a little worried about something.
I took the driftwood out to clean it, and it kicked up a little mulm from the dirt. I REALLY don’t want a bacterial infection, so I put a half dose of paraguard in there.
Other than that, I moved mosses, trimmed things and added some Hydrocotyle Japan. Let me know how it looks.

Minor Update – March 17th, 2013

Still check out the picture update one post ahead of this, but I wanted to ask people, especially those who were a tad bit concerned for the light, about some algae.
It seems I’m NOT getting algae on my mosses, but I definitely have it on my walls. I do believe dust algae. Should I be concerned? Seems shrimp don’t mind it.

Update – March 18th, 2013

I’m going to try to train the Hydrocotyle Japan it as it grows in my Fluval Spec III. I think some of the roots are already binding to the wood. Not sure though.
The dust algae isn’t GROWING per say, and it was faintly there before the upgrade. The thing about this light is it is only three LEDs lol.
I’ve added a feeding dish, and may wind up adding cholla wood to the tank.

March 19th, 2013

Placed a bit of cholla wood + a cappatia leaf.
I don’t LOVE the wood where it is, but it doesn’t look bad, and they have a new place to explore.
Oh and the Hydrocotyle is adjusting well. It already has… Leemmmmee count…. 10 new leaves forming, three leaves already nearing completion.
That’s a fast growing plant!

Update – March 21st, 2013

Hmm the plant moved a little.
I added a nerite to eat some of the algae on the walls of the Fluval Spec III. Hopefully he does good work.
I’ve added three SS CRS.
That should bring me to 17 shrimp in here. I’d love to see a berry someday soon.

Update – March 24th, 2013

I just wanted to say I’m fortunate and unfortunate to see this tank in its prime now. I’m unsure about how it will look soon(overgrowth) but super impressed about how it looks now. It really is eye catching in my room.

Update – April 1st, 2013

Hope everybody had a great Easter!
I left my fluval spec III alone for about 5 days. I always am nervous, but it seems like everything is OK.
I can’t exactly can’t see if anybody passed, but there seems to be a proper number.
The nerite has done wonders on the walls of the tank
I just can’t get over how great it looks in person.

Update – April 4th, 2013

A feeding day

Update – April 14th, 2013

MAN. I’m very nervous I’ll be seeing my first death soon. In prepping my new tank, I got a new ZooMed 501.
So obviously when you’re doing a new tank, you want to transplant half of another filter into the new one. I chose to set the new filter up with 70% of the old media including the insider sponge.
I also decided while I’m setting and scaping the new tank, I’d put it in the new tank.
It is the same amount of flow, but I’m just getting all kinds of goodies in the new filter.
I set both up, rebooked the old one to its connections and plugged both in.
I walk away for at least 15 to 20 minutes and got the feeling I needed to check things out. I looked inside my fluval spec III and saw a shrimp stuck inside the submerged spraybar. Her body was contorted and her tiny head was sticking out one of these holes.
I immediately disconnected it and started trying to get her out. She came right back to life, and soon after some fussing she got out.
With all the new/rearranged media and moved around stuff, I’m just praying I don’t see any deaths or anything.

Update – April 24th, 2013

I’m resigned that they may not breed.
It’s been over 3 months. They should have matured. I don’t mind that they won’t breed. They’ve been very rewarding to keep. Here’s some shots from today

Update – May 4th, 2013

Things are going well here. Almost time to move them back home
You’d never guess there are 16+ Crystal Red Shrimp in my fluval spec III…

Update – Mary 21st, 2013

How about a few pictures.
All is well in this tank. My fluval spec III was stable after my move home from college. Everything transferred real well.
The shrimp are great, too.
Some good news! I see freshwater limpets in my tank. They look cute. I don’t know why some people hate them.
This is how the tank looks to the eye.

Update – June 23rd, 2013

Pic of the fluval spec III!!!
Lol if you notice the Hydrocotyle is creeping out of the tank

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